Recent years have seen an increasing awareness of the benefits of physical exercise and widespread use of exercisers. The therapeutic value of progressive resistance exercises has long been recognized. Exercising muscles against progressively increasing resistance not only results in added strength and endurance in the muscles, but also in a more efficient functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
Various types of exercisers have been suggested which use elastomeric members such as resistance bands to provide non-gravity resistance to the performance of the exercises.
One such exerciser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,167 issued to Piaget et al. The exerciser taught by Piaget et al. includes a first plurality of resistance cords for providing resistance to pivotal movement of first and second arm members and a second plurality of resistance cords for providing resistance to a leg member. Each plurality of resistance cords are releasably secured to a fixed anchor such that the first plurality of resistance cords provides resistance to the arm members independently from the resistance provided by the second plurality of resistance cords to the leg member. A user may exercise his/her arms and legs without complex maneuvering or adjustments to the exercise machine as taught by Piaget et al. However, varying the resistance by using elastomeric resistance as taught by Piaget et al. involves adding or subtracting individual resistance cords to the apparatus, which can be both burdensome and time consuming. Further, since the resistance cords are typically separate units, they can be lost or misplaced, increasing costs for replacement, and frequently are strewn about the apparatus in a manner to create substantial tripping hazards.
Another such exerciser is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,566 issued to Whitcomb. The exerciser taught by Whitcomb includes a single plurality of resistance elements for either providing resistance to handle grips or to a leg unit which are connected to opposite ends of the resistance elements. Whitcomb provides an exercise machine having a single plurality of resistance elements, which are not removed from the exercise machine during normal usage, thus eliminating the risks and cost described above with respect to loose resistance elements. Even though the exercise machine is relatively versatile, it includes numerous pivotally movable components, which can be relatively bulky and can require many steps to maneuver the exercise machine into various positions for effecting the different modes of exercise. These extra steps require extra time to move the exercise machine between different positions and can significantly lengthen the workout. Thus, the ability to maneuver the exerciser into various positions for effecting the different modes of exercise quickly is greatly desirable to help reduce unnecessary time between exercises.
While the cited prior art exercisers are effective for their intended purpose, there is always a continuing need for new and improved exercisers which are cost-effective, convenient for transportation and storage, versatile, capable of providing variable resistance and relatively easy to maneuver between various positions for effecting different modes of exercise.
To achieve this need, an exerciser comprising a frame assembly including a lower frame portion constructed and arranged to be stably supported in an operative position on a horizontal surface is provided. The frame assembly also includes rigid upright frame structure defines laterally spaced left and right free end portions. A user support assembly is operatively connected with the lower frame portion constructed and arranged to support a user thereon. Left and right moving assemblies are disposed in normal inoperative positions with respect to the user support assembly constructed and arranged to be manually engaged and individually manually moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof into a desired extended position by a user supported on the user support assembly.
The left and right moving assemblies comprise left and right upper pulley members rotatably mounted on the left and right upper free end portions of the rigid upright frame structure respectively and left and right lower pulley members rotatably mounted on the frame assembly at fixed positions below the upper pulley members respectively. The left and right moving assemblies also comprise left and right flexible elongated structures trained around the left and right upper and lower pulley members respectively and left and right user hand grip units connected with left and right end portions of the left and right flexible elongated structures extending in positions to enable a user supported on the user support assembly to move the left and right user hand grip units away from inoperative positions thereof into desired extended positions.
The left and right flexible elongated structures include left and right bungee cords having fixed ends and movable ends provided with stop structure thereon for engaging cooperating stop structure associated with left and right pulley members respectively so as to determine inoperative positions thereof and enable resilient movements therefrom to desired extended positions and to resiliently return the left and right user hand grip units to the inoperative positions thereof when no longer moved by the user.
Connecting structure is provided on the frame assembly which is constructed and arranged to enable the fixed end of the left and right bungee cords to be fixed in selected fixed positions on the frame assembly which provide selected different resilient bias of the bungee cords when in the inoperative and extended positions thereof.
Generally, exercisers of this type have been known to provide a user support assembly or bench for supporting users while they effect various different modes of exercise. Numerous exercisers that incorporate benches for providing support to users have heretofore been known in the art.
Some exercisers incorporate benches such as a split bench having a seat back and a seat member hingeably connected so that the bench can be adjusted for use in connection with both a flat bench position and a sitting position. Snyderman et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,447 represents an example of one such exerciser.
Other exercisers, especially those configured to provide multiple exercises or a bench which may be maneuvered between various positions may be cumbersome to transport and may take up a large area. One such exerciser, such as Rockwell U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,127, includes a bench assembly which may be moved into a storage position. The exercise machines taught by Piaget et al. and Whitcomb may also be moved into a storage position, but both exercise machines require a relatively complex series of movements and adjustments before being moved into the storage positions thereof.
Consequently, there exists a need in the art to provide an exerciser that is cost-effective, convenient for transportation and storage, versatile, and relatively easy to maneuver between various positions for effecting different modes of exercise.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an exerciser comprising a frame assembly that includes a lower frame portion constructed and arranged to be stablely supported in an operative position on a horizontal surface and left and right rigid upright support members fixed at lower end portions thereof on the lower frame portion. The left and right rigid upright support members extend upwardly from the lower frame portion when in the operative position thereof. The left and right rigid upright support members have integral laterally spaced left and right upper free ends disposed above the lower frame portion in outwardly diverging relation with respect to one another. A user support assembly is operatively connected with the lower frame portion and is constructed and arranged to support a user thereon. Left and right moving assemblies are disposed in normal inoperative positions with respect to the user support assembly and are constructed and arranged to be manually engaged and individually manually moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof into a desired extended position by a user supported on the user support assembly.
The left and right moving assemblies comprise left and right upper pulley members rotatably mounted on the left and right upper free end portions of the left and right rigid upright support members respectively and left and right lower pulley members rotatably mounted on the frame assembly at fixed positions below the upper pulley members respectively.
Left and right flexible elongated structures are trained around the left and right upper and lower pulley members respectively. Left and right user hand grip units are connected with left and right end portions of the left and right flexible elongated structures extending in positions to enable a user supported on the user support assembly to move the left and right user hand grip units away from inoperative positions thereof into desired extended positions.
The left and right flexible elongated structures include left and right bungee cords having fixed ends fixed directly to the frame structure and movable ends provided with stop structure thereon for engaging cooperating stop structure associated with left and right pulley members respectively so as to determine inoperative positions thereof and enable resilient movements therefrom to desired extended positions and to resiliently return the left and right user hand grip units to the inoperative positions thereof when no longer moved by the user.
Another aspect of the present invention is achieved by an exerciser that comprises a frame assembly including a lower frame portion constructed and arranged to be stablely supported in an operative position on a horizontal surface and left and right rigid upright support members fixed at lower end portions thereof on the lower frame portion. The left and right rigid upright support members extend upwardly from the lower frame portion when in the operative position thereof. The left and right rigid upright support members have integral laterally spaced left and right upper free ends disposed above the lower frame portion in outwardly diverging relation with respect to one another.
A user support assembly is operatively connected with the frame assembly and is constructed and arranged to support a user thereon. The user support assembly includes a user seat member, a user seat back member and an elongated support member having one end connected to the upright frame assembly and extending in an operative position generally horizontally outwardly therefrom. The user support assembly also includes an outer leg structure that is constructed and arranged to engage and be supported on the horizontal surface in spaced relation to the frame extending in an operative position in supporting relation with respect to the elongated support member to maintain the elongated support member in the generally horizontally outwardly extending relation from the lower frame portion. Seat mounting structure constructed and arranged to mount the user seat member for movement horizontally with respect to the elongated support member when in the operative position thereof between an outer position and a inner position and spaced inwardly of and at generally the same level as the outer position. Seat back mounting structure operatively associated with the seat back member that is constructed and arranged to enable the seat back member to be selectively retained in a bench position extending in generally horizontally aligned relation to the user seat member in an outer position thereof and an upright position extending generally inwardly in inclined relation to the user seat member in an inner position thereof.
The upright frame assembly includes a lower frame portion constructed and arranged to be stablely supported on a horizontal surface and an upstanding portion extending upwardly from the lower frame portion, and a seat support portion extending upwardly from the lower frame portion in horizontally spaced relation to the upstanding portion. The elongated support member is pivotally mounted on the seat support portion so as to be moved between the operative position thereof and an upright storage position wherein the elongated support member, the outer leg structure and the seat and seat back members are alongside the upstanding portion.
Left and right moving assemblies are disposed in normal inoperative positions with respect to the user support assembly and are constructed and arranged to be manually engaged and individually manually moved away from the normal inoperative position thereof into a desired extended position by a user supported on the user support assembly. The left and right moving assemblies have left and right portions operatively associated with cooperating structure on the left and right upper free ends.
Other objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.